'Wartime miracles remind us that God answers when people humbly seek his help'

Wilberforce Publications is pleased to announce the launch of Beyond the Odds – Providence in Britain’s Wars of the 20th Century, by John Scriven and Tim Dieppe.

On 11 November 2021, Remembrance Day, we launched our new book, Beyond the Odds, with authors John Scriven and Tim Dieppe. We were also joined by Major General (ret’d) Tim Cross CBE, who has served as a British Army Officer in many different countries, including Germany, Northern Ireland and Cyprus.

Wartime miracles are not simply something that happened during Biblical times. At many points during the two World Wars, as well as times during other wars that Britain was involved in as recently as the 20th Century, Britain and her allies were saved from disaster in circumstances than can only be described as miraculous.

During our launch, co-author Tim Dieppe recalled one providential moment that happened on the HMS Illustrious, an aircraft carrier that had to dock to be repaired in Malta during the second World War, thanks to the faithful prayers led by the Governor of Malta, General William Dobbie. Tim recounted the story:

“The Italians knew that this was a very valuable ship, and they sent in 100 planes to bomb it. Each plan sent bombs down and every single one of them missed. They saw that as an answer to prayer and God’s mercy on them.”

Co-author John Scriven also explained the reasoning behind many of these wartime miracles, that many of those in command were faithful, prayerful men: “I think praying was part of the whole scene,” John said.

The book itself explores many moments over the past century where God has intervened, including:

The beginning of the First World War and the ‘Angels of Mons’ in 1914
The capture of Jerusalem in 1917, and the near defeats before the victories of 1918
The fall of France, the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain in 1940
The war in North Africa, Italy, Russia and the Pacific (1941-43) and D-Day (1944)
The survival of Malta, Churchill’s Christianity and the 1982 Falkland conflict.

When asked what we can learn today from these moments in history, Tim commented:

“I find these stories inspiring, and I think that’s why we wrote the book: to remind people that God answers prayer when people humbly seek him and ask for his help. God does graciously answer, and in remarkable ways. We need to be inspired and encouraged to pray ourselves – not just for ourselves, but for our nation.”

You can watch the full online launch below: